


the love we felt in autumn

by juvio



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Never Met, Alternate Universe - No Girlfriends/No Wives, Angst, Demons, Established Relationship, First Meetings, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, October Prompt Challenge, Road Trips, Sharing Clothes, Strong Language, Supernatural Elements, Teasing, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:53:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 6,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26762392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juvio/pseuds/juvio
Summary: a collection of rhink ficlets as part of fantober 2020!! ratings and tags will change as chapters are updated !!
Relationships: Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal
Comments: 36
Kudos: 24





	1. warmth comes in waves

**Author's Note:**

> day #1
> 
> 'the first day of fall'

The changing of the seasons didn’t hit them right away. It started with darker, cloudy days as they drove to their studio to film the next food challenge their writers had planned for them. The days would start to feel shorter, they’d barely make a dent in their work before they find themselves driving home wondering what dinner to cook that evening. It really hit Link when Rhett found him in a short-sleeved button-down with a questioning look on his face. 

“What? Got something on my shirt?” Link checked himself out in the mirror beside their closet door.

“Link, you do know it’s cold as hell out there right? I’d put on a hoodie at least,” Rhett’s face shifted to a look of worry.

“It’s not like it ain’t winter yet, I’ll be fine!”

The first few food challenges with some heated conversations mingled in helped stave off the chilly air for a couple of hours, but eventually it crept back and made it’s home on Link’s skin causing him to visibly shiver accompanied with goosebumps. He tried to ignore it as he continued working. Rhett not so much.

“You’re shaking, bo.” Rhett stood up from his chair, grabbing his hoodie he’d thrown on the couch earlier.

“Like I said, I’m fi-” Link jerked when he felt the hoodie being draped over him.

Rhett’s body followed suit and Link felt a warmth that seemed to melt right into his very core. The taller man’s breath hot and heated against his ear, the smell of waffles and cologne mingling in a way Link didn’t know he’d love so much. They both felt him shiver, and Rhett only kept his hold on Link.

“Don’t worry, I’ll warm you up,” Rhett’s voice was deep, and it made Link burn up.


	2. iced coffee and clumsy hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> days #2 & #8
> 
> 'tea and coffee' & 'first meeting'

“I know this really cute little coffee shop a few blocks from here, we can chat more there.” 

Rhett followed behind Stevie, his friend and co-worker, to this small coffee shop. He recently moved to Burbank to pursue his passion in filmmaking after ditching his old engineering job, and some of the closed-minded people of Buies Creek. He practically left his old life behind. ‘It was for the better,’ he liked to think to himself. It’s only been a few months but he still finds himself lost in it all. California felt like such a huge land compared to his old home town. He felt happier here and that’s what mattered to him the most.

The small shop, aptly named “Sugar & Spice”, stood on the corner of the street decorated with beautifully themed brown, white, and orange flowers in the front, all of it fitting in with the autumn season. Stevie held the door open for Rhett as they headed inside, the smell of cinnamon and incense filled their nostrils while low indie music played softly over the speakers. It felt cozier than most coffee shops Rhett’s been in he’ll admit. They walked up to greet the cashier grinning at the counter.

“Hello! May I take your order?” Her personality is as bubbly as the drinks they serve.

“Uh, I’ll take an iced coffee and-” _CRASH!_ Rhett’s order was cut off by a loud crashing sound from behind the cashier. Yelling from what sounded like an older man accompanied before the man stormed out of the back room, his face visibly fuming. The cashier apologized on behalf of the man, who was the senior manager, and offered a free muffin with their order for the interruption. 

They headed to an unoccupied table near one of the big windows, Stevie setting up her laptop almost immediately. She didn’t waste a second getting down to business while they waited for their drinks. They had to research and scout out locations for their latest short film, as well as get their cast together for rehearsals. Rhett found this part of the business a tad boring, but they’re only a small film company with not enough crew members to spare for such tasks. It beat the hell out of that repetitive engineering job that’s for sure.

“So sorry I’m late with your order, the manager has been on my ass all day. It’s the Cranberry Autumn tea and an iced coffee, correct?” A lower voice brought them out of their work focus.

Their server was a tall, thin frame of a man, Rhett would guess around 6 foot or so. He wore plaid patterned pants that left his ankles exposed to the chilly air with some converse sneakers on. It matched well with the white dress shirt underneath his knitted brown sweater, decorated with detailed patterns on the sleeves and bottom, which hid behind his apron. Salt and pepper hair which gave the impression of an early winter. Black thick-rimmed glasses complimented his perfectly angular face. What stuck out the most for Rhett were his eyes. _Oh man his eyes_. The most striking blue eyes, like two blue quartz shining in the moonlight, that seemed to pierce right into Rhett’s soul.

He was the most beautiful creature Rhett has ever seen.

Stevie noticed Rhett’s reaction to the server and took over, “Yes, thank you!” She set the tea in front of her and the coffee in front of Rhett.

“I hope you find everything good.” The server smiled over to Rhett, who’s surprised his heart didn’t stop right then and there. “Oh dang, I just realized I forgot your muffins. I’ll be right back!” The server clumsily rushed off to the back room.

Stevie turned towards Rhett with a shit-eating grin on her face, “Saw something you liked? Your face said it all McLaughlin.” Her eyebrows wiggled and she motioned her head towards the back room where the server disappeared into.

“Stevie, please,” Rhett exclaimed, but Stevie’s face tells him she isn’t gonna let it go so easily. Rhett sighed, “Okay, he’s gorgeous and cute I’ll admit, but I can’t just go up to him with some cheesy pickup line and ask him out because my friend saw me ogling at him. What am I, 16? Besides… He’s probably not even gay.”

Their attention turned to the server who returned with a small to-go box filled with mini blueberry muffins. He handed it to Rhett, his hand barely grazing the taller man’s, sending sparks through his arm.

“Here you go! Again I’m sorry about the late order, hope you enjoy the rest of your day.” The brunette gave a big smile to them both before getting back to other customers. They finished their drinks and headed back to their car. As they walked, Rhett checked inside the box of muffins only to find a folded piece of paper. ‘For the bearded one’ was written on top. What was inside made Rhett stop in his tracks. It was a phone number with some writing below it:

_the name’s Link  
_

_call me sometime ;)_


	3. soothing the soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> days #3 & #30
> 
> 'rainy day' & 'domesticated'

One thing they learned how to do after 35 years together was how to make the best out of a bad situation.

Their studio held an outdoor Halloween themed celebration for reaching 18 seasons of their morning show. Tables with plenty of home-cooked food brought in by their staff and fun party games were set up to entertain. Rhett and Link decided to have a friendly competition in a game of horseshoes, the winner would receive a special ‘secret’ prize from the other. The secret kept between the two by small smirks only for each other. They were on the final round with the scores tied up, Link only needed two points to win when he felt a droplet on the hand gripping the horseshoe. He looked up to see large dark clouds hanging overhead, and shortly after it poured down heavy rain. Everyone scrambled into the studio for safety. 

The two men were soaked from head to toe, not fast enough to reach cover in time. Since it wasn’t technically a work day, everyone agreed to head on home. Rhett didn’t hear a peep from Link the entire ride back to their house besides the squeaking of his shoes on the rubber car mat. The minute they pulled into the driveway, Link stormed out and with lightning speed used his keys to open the front door. Rhett took his time to follow behind Link.

Once they reached their room, Link audibly huffed. “Out of all the days for it to rain, they chose today!” He kicked his shoes off his feet and into the bathroom with a loud thump, following after them. Rhett quietly watched as he wrung his curly dirty blonde hair with his towel. He isn’t happy with the circumstances either, they both looked forward to that party, not to mention Link nearly winning a game for once, but seeing Link heated made him feel like he should do something. Something to help Link calm down.

Rhett glanced over to his guitar case, an idea popping into his head. He threw the towel on their bed, grabbed his guitar out of its case, and headed out the bedroom. When Link came back to vent some more he noticed Rhett gone. He searched every room in the house until he reached the kitchen, where he heard a subtle noise coming from their lanai. 

He found Rhett sitting in one of their lounging chairs, still wearing his soaked clothes, gently grazing his fingers over his guitar strings. He didn’t turn to look at Link as he played, letting his hands guide themselves, inspired by the current mood. Link moved closer to sit in the chair adjacent to the taller man. He didn’t say anything at first, instead focused on the soft strumming, how it mingled well with the still pouring rain. It created a sound that sent Link into a dull sense of thinking, it calmed him, to the point where he nearly forgot what he was mad about in the first place. Their clothes still soaked, the chilly autumn winds a reminder.

“We’re gonna get sick being out here,” Link said quietly. Rhett gave a quick glance over.

“I know.” Rhett didn’t stop playing.

Neither man moved an inch, taking in the serenity and peace which soothed the once stressful atmosphere. It’s not until sundown when they finally feel the need to move, Link stretching his body as he stands. Rhett follows suit, watching Link’s lithe body with a heated gaze. He could tell Link felt better than he did when they got home, but he knew some of that frustration still remained. 

Rhett reached over to Link, moving his lips onto his own with a soft kiss. Link went limp to the touch letting the taller man guide him easily. He held the brunette flush against his body, the heat melting them together. Rhett’s bulge was prominent against Link’s own, which stirred more during the moment. 

“We should get you out of these clothes before you get sick,” His voice was low, making Link shudder hard. “What about you? You’re soaked as well.” Link’s hands trailed down Rhett’s chest, feeling his muscled frame behind the thinly wet shirt which left nothing to the imagination. His hands stopped above the waistband of Rhett’s jeans. 

Rhett hummed, a smirk appearing on his face, “Well, I guess you’ll just have to help me out too, huh?”


	4. house of memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> day #4
> 
> 'love confession'

The first time it happened was during lunchtime in the second grade. The young boys sat together against the brick wall of the school, reaching into their lunchboxes to see what their mothers packed them that day. Link usually had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, water, and a pack of chocolate pudding, with a post-it note from his mom that said ‘I love you’ with a smiley face placed on top. That day he asked his mom to pack himself an extra pudding cup for Rhett, and used the notepad to write his own ‘I love you’ note for it. It felt good to see that note in his lunchbox so he thought that it’d bring Rhett some joy too.

“Want my extra pudding cup?” Link held it out to Rhett.

“Yeah, thanks!” Rhett snatched it from him.

As he was about to open the cup of pudding, Rhett noticed the note stuck on top of the lid. ‘I love you Rhett!’ with a big smiley face below that. He glanced over to Link who was busy digging into his own pudding. Rhett looked back at the note before him, a small smile formed on his face. His own mother would put notes like this in his own lunchbox every day too, but the idea that Link would think about writing a note just for him made him feel happy. He was glad that he found a friend like Link.

The second time it happened it was in high school. Every week they would meet up after Rhett’s basketball practice to hang out, their new found independence keeping them out until nighttime. After an important basketball game that autumn evening, The both of them stayed behind in the gym after everyone else left. Rhett practiced his shots while Link finished up his homework on the sidelines.

“That was one hell of a game you played today,” Link was the first to speak.  
“Thanks, man.” Rhett moved positions to practice his three-pointers. He delayed one of his shots to ask Link something, “Saw you sitting next to Sadie Hardwell during the game. Chatting and stuff.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. You, uh, you like her?”

“She’s okay I guess.” 

“Just okay?” Rhett seemed a bit surprised.

Link just shrugged.

“You thinkin’ about dating her?” 

Link stood quiet for a moment before speaking up, “No, not really.” 

Rhett seemed a bit shocked to hear that response. Most men, and even some ladies, had crushes on Sadie throughout the school and would’ve loved the opportunity to date her. Hell, even Rhett liked her at some point during his high school years and Link knew this. He didn’t try to date her after knowing that information? It’s not like this was the first time he would have tried. ‘Link can be a bit weird about this stuff sometimes’, Rhett thought to himself. For some reason he felt something inside him come out with a sigh. Relief maybe?

“We should probably head home before it gets dark,” Link spoke as he packed up his homework and slipped his backpack on. 

Rhett checked the time on the gym wall, it was nearly 7pm. “Oh man yeah, you’re right.”

“I’ll head on out then, Love ya man.”

Rhett froze as he heard those words leave Link’s lips. Really? He turned to ask Link about his choice of words, but by the time he did so Link was already out the door. Left with his own thoughts, Rhett picked up his gym duffle bag and headed to the locker room, his mind struggling to keep up.

The last time didn’t happen until they were in their 40s, sitting at their set desk in front of the crew’s cameras preparing to film another episode of Good Mythical Morning. During the last episode’s game, they got into another conversation about the relationships they had during their lives, with Rhett taking the lead with the several girls he dated in high school. While Stevie interjects with her own small experiences, Rhett noticed that Link was being unusually quiet. Stevie noticed as well and decided to change the topic. 

After filming for the day, they both headed back to their joint office. Link still kept quiet which made Rhett a bit worried. Link usually loved to join in on the conversations, even if they were completely outrageous, for the entertainment of the viewers. Every crew member joined in earlier, creating a sudden rush of noise, but Link’s silence spoke out the loudest.

Rhett turned his chair to face Link, “Hey bo, you okay?” 

Link didn’t even turn his chair as he answered, “Yeah.”

“No you’re not, you’re never that quiet unless something’s up.”

Link slowly turned his chair towards Rhett, his face showing what looked like fear or uncertainty. Rhett couldn’t tell right away. 

“Rhett… can I tell you something? Something important?”

Rhett nodded.

Link drew a huge breathe in, blowing it out in nervousness. “Please just listen to what I’m gonna say… and don’t get mad, okay?” Link looked like he was ready to crawl out of his skin. “I… I love you Rhett. I don’t mean like in a brotherly way like when we were kids, I mean _love_ love. Like lovers on their wedding day type of love. I know this is wrong and I shouldn’t feel like this towards you but I do, ever since we started hanging out by the creek long ago. I just knew, like we were soulmates or something. I couldn’t say how much I loved you then, but I can say it now… I love you more than anything else in the world. I want you with me forever. Oh gosh- I’m sorry this- I shouldn’t have said anything- I’m sorry- I-” Link rushed to get up out of his chair and head to the door, he needed to get out of there before he made things worse, but an arm stopped him in his tracks.

Rhett brought Link into a tight hug, his arm around Link’s upper back and another around his thin waist. The only thing Link heard was the taller man’s breathing, rough and a bit choppy. He pulled back to take a good look at Link’s ocean eyes which were on the verge of letting tears fall. He slowly brought his lips to the brunette’s who didn’t waste time reciprocating the action. Rhett didn’t know how long they were there kissing until they both pulled back, panting with blown out eyes. Rhett decided to break the silence.

“I love you too.”


	5. the big bad wolf man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> day #5
> 
> 'sleepover'

“The movie’s about to start, Link hurry up!” Rhett shouted from the living room.

“Help me Rhett, I can’t carry all of these snacks by myself!” Link shouted back. His arms occupied with an abundance of sugary and salty treats for just the two of them.

Rhett sighed as he got off the couch to help Link in the kitchen, grabbing two bowls of chips and a pack of ice cold cola out from Link’s arms. They shuffled their way back into the living room, practically dumping all of the junk food on the small table in front of them. Every year for Halloween, they would give marathons of old horror movies all day and night. Rhett remembered when he and Link would stay up late as children after Rhett’s parents went to bed to watch these movies, which usually ended up with Link needing to sleep close to him to avoid getting nightmares. They did this every day of October.

Now that they’re roommates in college, the magic of riding their bikes to each other’s houses to binge on horror movies and snack on tons of junk food wasn’t there anymore. Rhett was the first to propose the idea of recreating the magic here in their dorm room, after all these midterms they needed a well deserved break. Luckily Gregg stayed at his cousin’s house that night so they had the dorm all to themselves. They got back just in time for The Wolf Man to start. 

“Ever thought about growing your hair out? With your height you can be a real life wolf man,” Link laughed as he grabbed a handful of chips.

“Haha very funny. If I’m the Wolf Man, then you’re the damsel who I go after first, especially if you’re wearing this.” Rhett reached out to grab the bottom of Link’s shirt. It was three times bigger than his lithe frame and with those short shorts Link’s wearing it made it seem like he had nothing but the shirt on, and that spun a lot of thoughts in Rhett’s mind.

“What?! No I’m not!” Link slapped Rhett’s hand away, only for the taller man to retaliate by grabbing his wrist and poking him right in the ribs. 

This started another competition of strength, the couch nowhere near big enough to fit two grown men wrestling. Limbs fly and overlap over each other until Rhett pulls his ‘I’m dead’ move to get the upper hand on Link, one of his thighs slotting it’s way between Link’s legs causing a moan to escape the brunette’s lips. They froze, Rhett’s face ended up only a few inches from Link’s. Their bodies were tangled together so close that the heat between them morphed into one being. 

Link’s eyes were blown out as he got a good look at the man above him. He didn’t know where he pulled out the courage to kiss Rhett, but he didn’t hold himself back. He wanted this for god knows how long. He figured Rhett did too when he reciprocated, pushing his thigh forward to give Link more pressure _there_ , triggering another moan from Link. They didn’t know how long they were there for, but they didn’t care.

The snacks and the movie were long forgotten.


	6. the devil went down to burbank

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> day #6
> 
> 'the fair'

“Step right up! Try out our new creepy haunted house, ‘The Asylum’! You’ll witness some of the worst nightmares to exist. Are any of you brave enough to trek through those haunted corridors?” A man dressed up as a beaten up and burnt ringleader exclaimed over a megaphone. The biggest and scariest haunted house at the fair sat behind him. Some people from the passing crowds stepped in to check out what the guy was on about, all while hearing the blood-curdling screams of participants who agreed to head inside.

“Hey Link, we should try that out. Sound kinda fun,” Rhett bumped Link with his shoulder.

“Oh hell no, you know I can’t handle horror that well!” 

“That’s why it’d be funny! C’mon Link, don't be a wuss.” 

Link rolled his eyes. He knew when Rhett was adamant about something, his pestering wasn’t going to stop. Link grabbed Rhett’s arm as he led them to the haunted house with no words said. They’ll just go in and get out quick with no screaming, At least Link hoped it’ll be that easy.

“Welcome gentlemen! Are you willing to try out ‘The Asylum’?” Both men nodded, handing the ringleader their tickets. “Well great! Have fun!” The two men were about to enter when the ringleader man spoke up one more time to them, “Oh, and make sure you don’t get lost. You’ll never make it out alive.” He gave out a hearty laugh before attending to the other fair goers.

Rhett entered the Asylum first, with Link huddling behind his back for cover. They stopped at a reception desk, with a seemingly normal lady, besides all the scarring and exposed flesh on her face, working behind it. She never said a word to them, only lifting her arm to point to the west of them. They turned to see the darkest, grungiest hallway they’ve ever seen. They didn’t stick around long and left without saying a word. The hallway was covered in rusty, steel doors with what they assumed was dried blood on it. Several inmates, none with easily definable features, came scrambling to their doors, banging and screaming for the two men to let them out or kill them. Link gave these actors props. It almost feels real.

Rhett and Link found themselves at a crossroads, the left corridor led into the kitchen area while the right led to the director’s office. Link glanced back and forth the two options. 

“Let’s split up, I’ll go into the kitchen and you can head to the office,” Rhett spoke through a smile. 

“Are you crazy?! You just want to see if there’s food there. What we should do is stick together!” Link’s fear loud and clear in his voice. The fact that Rhett even thought of going with that idea with him makes Link want to rip all that hair off of his long beard.

“I’d be interesting, man! Plus they’re just actors ain’t nothing gonna happen to you.” Rhett patted the brunette on the shoulder in assurance. Link tapped his hand to give a signal that he’s okay. He can do this, he’s in his forty for christ sakes he can get through one haunted house alone. He nodded and strayed off from Rhett, heading down the right hallway.

Link stopped right in front of the director’s room, the door was nicer than the rest of the asylum. A note was posted on the window of the door:

_Knock first._

Link raised his arm to knock on the door. It was silent for a while before he heard the door unlock and a deep guttural voice answered from behind it. “ _Come in_.” Link gulped audibly as he let himself in. 

A tall man sat behind the desk, his face barely covered from the light coming from his desk lamp. His skin looked unnaturally red-ish, almost too red to be painted. The man had a toothy grin that showed off sharp teeth. Long horns protruded upwards from his forehead. All of these only struck more fear into Link. Whoever did these actor’s makeups should get a raise that’s for sure.

“ _Sit_.”

Link did as he was told, sitting in the chair right across from the man. 

“ _Having fun so far? I’m sure you have_.” The man’s breath came out smokey, like the room was cold. Link felt it too.

“Uh, yeah?” Link didn’t know how to respond. 

“ _Good. It took me an eternity to obtain this asylum. I needed to keep my collected souls in a place where I can keep an eye on them at all times. Maybe even torture them a little. You humans come up with the best ways to hide it._ ” He gave a hearty laugh that Link has never heard before, nowhere near close to the ringleader’s laugh from earlier. This guy was _really_ invested in his role. The air felt colder than before.

“ _It’s probably best you don’t stay long, human. Or else I’ll keep you here like the rest of them._ ” The man’s toothy grin gave Link mixed feelings about the whole situation, but if even the red man didn’t want him here then he should leave pronto. He got up from the chair and headed for the door. The doorknob wouldn’t budge.

“ _One last thing before you go… Make sure I never have to see you again, Mr. Neal._ ” The red man snapped his fingers and the door swung open with Link being pushed by some unknown force out. Link was shocked. ‘ _How did he know my name?_ ’ He thought. His ticket never said his name. Maybe a fan of GMM? He turned to go back into the room to ask, but it was gone.

The whole room was gone, including the door, leaving nothing but the wall that matched the rest of the asylum. Link hurriedly shuffled back to the crossroads to go find Rhett. It was eerily quiet. No more mental patient actors screaming their heads off in the hallways leading to him. He took a quick peek into the cells. All of them were empty.

Link rushed into the kitchen area, but Rhett was nowhere to be found. He quickened his pace, missing all of the jumpscares that waited for him in the subsequent rooms, his eyesight on Rhett only. He got to the end of the attraction, finding Rhett outside talking with the ringleader about his experience.

“Ah, here comes your friend now!” The ringleader pointed towards Link, and Rhett turned to greet him.

“Bo, I thought you’d be out by now. I’m surprised you lasted so long there.” Rhett slapped Link’s shoulder. 

“I would have been out earlier but I had an _interesting_ experience in the director’s office,” Link tried to muster up a smile. “The man was like a demon, he knew my name and everything! The moment I left the room itself disappeared, even the mental patients in the cells. Man, props to your special effect team and that actor for the director cause it felt so damn real,” Link huffed a laugh, the ringleader just looked at him in confusion. 

“Uh… I’m sorry sir but, uh, we don’t have a director’s office section in the haunted house.”


	7. heal thy heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> days #7 & #24
> 
> 'sick day' & 'picnic'

Rhett spent the whole morning fixing up several food items in their kitchen, including some sandwiches, crackers and cheese, an assortment of fruit, and even a bit of wine for the two of them. He’s been planning this romantic picnic for the last few weeks without Link’s knowledge hoping to show how much he appreciated and loved the brunette. He had the whole evening planned, the two of them would head out to the bike trail, and walk along it until Rhett led Link to a private spot besides a lake with benches perfect for the picnic. He couldn’t wait for tonight.

Before Rhett could pack the small picnic basket, he heard some heavy footsteps heading down the stairs. He scrambled to place the food back into their fridge and hide the basket in the pantry nearby. He noticed the brunette gave a weak wave to the taller man and started making himself a pot of coffee.

“Hey baby, slept well last night?” Rhett greeted his husband.

“Not really,” Link sounded a bit more stuffy than usual.

Rhett’s eyebrows raised in concern and before he could ask why, Link let out a barrage of sneezes into the crook of his elbow, some phlegm covered coughs followed after. Link was sick with a cold. Rhett grabbed the coffee pot out from Link’s hand and guided him back upstairs to lay back in bed. After much insisting that he was “fine enough” to get through the day, Link finally gave up and stayed in bed. 

Later in the afternoon, Link stationed himself in their bed while Rhett took care of their house chores and any zoom meetings they had to take care of for Mythical. The day passed slower than Rhett would like. Every once in a while he’ll go and check up on Link, who was either watching TV or fast asleep. Rhett decided to make himself and Link some lunch. When he opened the fridge he noticed the assortment of food he prepared for their now cancelled picnic. His eyebrows raised as he got an idea.

Rhett grabbed the basket he hid in the pantry and the food he prepared in the fridge, deciding at the last minute to ditch the wine for a different occasion. He packed everything neatly in the basket including a traditional red plaid blanket. He headed upstairs and knocked on their bedroom door. 

“Yeah?” Link said with a stuffy nose.

Rhett stepped into the bedroom with the basket poorly hidden behind his back, it didn’t fool Link.

“Rhett what’s with the basket?” 

“I, uh, I planned to take you out to a nice picnic spot by the lake later this evening,” Rhett noticed Link’s surprised look, “No one could of known you’d get sick and I didn’t want this food to go to waste so I figured we’d have our own little picnic at home.” Rhett moved his curly hair out from his face, a small redness on his cheeks apparent.

“That’s so sweet, but you’re gonna get sick if you hang around me just for a picnic.” It was Link’s turn to get worried.

“I don’t care. You deserve to know how much I love you and how much I love everything you’ve done for me for all these years. If I have to get sick just to stay here with you, then I will.” Rhett set the basket down on his side of the bed, giving Link a tender smile.

“I love you too,” Link couldn’t help return the gesture as they sat together, enjoying their picnic in silence.


	8. party like it's your birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> days #9 & #16
> 
> 'baking' & 'birthday'

The kitchen looked like a war zone. The countertops were covered in flour, eggshells, and dough with cooking utensils scattered around the mess and floor. It would have bothered Link more if he wasn’t on such a time crunch. Today was Rhett’s birthday and Link only had an hour to have his cake and presents set up before Rhett came back from doing chores. Link wanted to make things extra special by baking the birthday cake himself instead of buying one, but even when he followed the recipe things ended up messy.

Once he got the cake into the oven, he spent the rest of the time cleaning the kitchen thoroughly enough that the evidence of his cake struggles wouldn’t be known. He then grabbed a few decorations from the closet near the kitchen and set them up at their kitchen table; some ribbon, a small banner that read ‘happy birthday’ hung on the wall next to the table, a bit of confetti was sprinkled around on top, and two small party hats for the both of them sat there waiting. Link used the last of his time to freshly wrap Rhett’s present, a remote controlled drone he’s been bragging to Link about, before the oven’s timer went off. 

The oven beeped and Link rushed to retrieve the cake. It looked sloppy and not well done but it smelled nice enough for Linke to shrug it off. He slid it onto a cake stand to decorate it, using an abundance of chocolate icing to cover up the messiness of his mistakes. The cake itself was a double chocolate cake with chocolate chips melted inside. He hoped the sound of it would make up for its weird structure. The sound of keys turning the locks of the front door made Link scramble to look decent.

Rhett walked into the house with some paperwork and a few bags of groceries. He started to explain to Link about the paperwork when he walked into the kitchen to see the surprise. 

“Surprise, happy birthday Rhett!” Link stuck his arms out to gesture to the table.

“Is this why you sent me out to do your chores?” Rhett laughed as he set down the groceries and papers, a small smile forming on his face.

“Maybe.”

Rhett swooped Link into his arms and held him close, scattering kisses up and down the brunette's neck. He got a glance of the cake; it seemed lopsided and messily covered in chocolate icing. His first guess is that it isn’t store bought, that Link took the time to bake a cake for him from scratch, which made his heart practically soar out of his chest. His grip on Link tightened as he led the shorter man upstairs.

“Wait Rhett, what about the cake or your present?” Link’s face burned a bright pink.

“Later, right now I want to show you how much I love you.”


	9. you've gone too far

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> days #11 & #12
> 
> 'road trip' & 'enchanted forest'

Rhett wished Link was the one driving. The brunette sat beside him fiddling with a paper map after their electronic GPS broke down about halfway through their trip. The map nearly covered their windshield and almost caused Rhett to crash multiple times. 

“Link, relax with the map I’m trying to get us there in one piece!” Rhett pushed part of the map away from his face. 

“Well we gotta find where this place is, Rhett! Can’t go driving on this highway forever!” Link scrambled to get the map under control.

They decided to take a private trip to a resort close to a large mountain range, the amount of stress that built up from working on their Youtube show finally started to affect them. They’d be able to enjoy some quiet time reconnecting with each other over the weekend, at least they hoped so if they actually got there.

Link worried they wouldn’t make it there in time to check-in. He constantly checked the map to make sure they drove down the right roads, looking out the windows to see the ever-growing forest that hugged the highway. Every time Link checked back the trees seemed to move or grow in shape. He blamed it on poor vision and the lack of sleep trying to make it to the resort on time.

The car rumbled underneath them as it slowed down, causing Rhett to make a hasty move to pull over to the side of the highway. Rhett tried starting the car again multiple times, each time the car made less of an effort to come back to life. He slammed his hands onto the steering wheel in frustration.

“You got to be fucking kidding me. This isn’t happening.” Rhett swung the driver’s side door wide open and moved around to the front of the car. Lifting the hood, he noticed the engine died but very little smoke came from it. “How in the hell did this happen? The car was perfectly fine this morning!”

Link slowly made his way out from his side to join Rhett at the front. He checked around for any sort of help, when he noticed a weird glowing blue figure watching the two men struggle. The figure quickly disappeared into the forest when it was caught. An unexplained feeling in his head caused Link to follow the being into the forest. 

Rhett kept ranting about the shot engine when he noticed Link’s foot as he walked into the forest. “Link where are you going? Link! Come back here!” Rhett forgot about the car as he followed his best friend into the woods.

Rhett could barely see Link several feet ahead of him with the forest darkening their surroundings as they headed deeper inside. How can it be this dark? Wasn’t it daytime when they went in? He couldn’t understand why sunlight wouldn’t penetrate the forest’s canopy of leaves. The more Rhett tried to think about it the more his head grew cloudy, like it was getting covered in fog. The only thing his mind thought about was following Link further in.

Beyond the trees, they both stop to find a small beautiful clearing surrounded by trees and flowers they couldn’t recognize, as if they didn’t grow in these parts. Several blue glowing humanoid figures, the same ones Link saw earlier, turning towards the men. They gather around a pond with the most clear blue water neither of them have ever seen. Link was the first to walk towards the pond, the creatures watching steadily, not moving. He cupped his hands to grab some of the pond water, taking a sip. Against Rhett’s thinking, he followed Link’s actions, taking a sip himself. It tasted like nothing and everything all at once. 

The two of them sat on the stones surrounding the pond, the humanoid creature’s stares never leaving their bodies. Rhett and Link’s hands began to glow a faint blue.

Wherever this was, they were home.


End file.
